No More Once Upon A Time
by Ziva- Zia- Z
Summary: Summary: Desperate to escape her destiny, a young, rebellious princess flees her home land, for a new life, unaware that she's fled over the rainbow...
1. Chapter 1

**No More Once Upon A Time**

 **Rifiuto: N** **on Miri** **ena**

 **Summary:** **Desperate to escape her destiny, a young, rebellious princess flees her home land, for a new life, unaware that she's fled over the rainbow... Written 2013. Found: September 2017.- Licia**

She was tired of being told that she needed to be evil, that it was her "destiny."

She had never believed in destiny the way the others at Ever After High had. And, if she were truly honest with herself, she hated how destiny was taken so seriously in Bookend. Especially in regards to Legacy Day. She wanted a new place, a new life, a chance to write her _own_ destiny.

But she would never get that chance as long as she remained in Bookend, at Ever After High.

Lightning split the sky, and after a moment, she slowly climbed out of bed, being careful not to wake Apple. The perky blonde was the last one she wanted knowing about what she was about to do. She quickly slipped into a pair of black ballet flats, pulled on her coat and then grabbed her knapsack; only her most precious possessions went into it- her journal, a sapphire necklace her father had given her before her first year at EAH, as well as a few other trinkets of sentimental value. The last thing she grabbed was a small, green glass bottle that had belonged to her mother. She gently traced the design on the glass, before slipping it into the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She opened the door as quietly as she could, turning back as lightning briefly lit the room up, and her gaze fell on her sleeping roommate.

"I'm sorry, Apple. But I can't find my true destiny if I stay here. Goodbye." Then, with one last look about the dorm, she slipped out the door and shut it softly behind her.

Her feet led her to Maddie's room, and she quickly slipped a folded sheet of paper into the keyhole, silently wishing her best friend in the world one final goodbye before leaving. She then moved out to the stables, in search of her beloved little dragon-

"There you are, Nevermore." The little purple dragon chirped as she knelt down beside it and hugged her close. "I'm so sorry, Nevermore, but I can't take you with me. I wish I could, but I don't know where I'm going, or even if wherever I end up is a good place for dragons." The dragon's big dark eyes widened and welled with tears. "I could end up somewhere where dragons don't exist and lose you forever." She kissed the dragon's feathery head, and sniffled. Of all those she was leaving behind, this was the most painful. She loved Nevermore, and couldn't imagine her life without her scaly little companion. "I'm going to miss you most of all."

Nevermore, sensing the pain her mistress was in, curled close, nudging against her, the meaning clear. _I don't want you to go. Let me come._

"I can't, Nevermore. Believe me, I wish I could." She sniffled, and quickly wiped away her tears before climbing to her feet. She picked up her knapsack and slung it over her shoulder. "I love you, Nevermore. I promise, I'll never forget you."

As she finally made her way through Bookend, she took a deep breath, trying to figure out where exactly she was going to go. If she could somehow find her way to Wonderland...

 _No. I love Maddie, and Lizzie and Kitty are wonderful, but I don't think I'd be able to stand living in Wonderland. There has to be some place else that I can go, that I can escape to._

She didn't know of any other magical worlds _besides_ Wonderland and Ever After. She'd never been anywhere else. But she was willing to find a new world, even if it meant many days walking, as long as it carried her far, far away from Ever After High and those who were determined to force her to follow her destiny. It was evident that Headmaster Grimm wasn't going to allow her to even _consider_ writing her own destiny, especially after he'd told her that if she didn't sign the Storybook of Legends that her story would cease to exist and she would vanish into thin air.

Once she reached the road at the edge of town, she took one last look at the town that had been her home for the last year or so. She knew that if she left, she would never see her father again, or her mother- while she loved her mother, that would be a _good_ thing. But she was also leaving all her friends behind, and Nevermore.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and took the first step over the rainbow and towards her destiny.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: N** **on Miri** **ena**

 **Written: 2013 Found: 2017- Licia**

She awoke with a slight headache, unaware of nothing but the aching in her joints. She felt as though she'd been taken for a ride in Madame Yaga's house without any warning, or been run over by a swarm of dragons. It was a slow process, climbing to her feet, but eventually she managed. Once standing, she let herself look around-

"Oh, great. I leave Bookend, _only_ to end up back at Ever After High. What do they have some sort of force... field-" She stopped, realizing that it didn't look like the private boarding school she had spent the last two years attending.

 _Actually, three years, since no one at EAH even bothered to understand that you're a year older than everyone else. Because your father had you privately tutored at home until you were about fifteen- so you skipped your first two years at EAH and entered the school as a junior, so technically, as of now, you're a senior. But that giant lug of a headmaster decided to put you with the current sophomore class, despite the letter your father wrote requesting you be placed with your appropriate class._

She sighed. She hadn't minded attending EAH, but the fact that she was placed in Apple's class, and was essentially forced to relearn everything she'd already been taught by her tutors had irked her to no end. Throw in all the high school drama that came with it, and she was about ready to pull her hair out. She certainly didn't look like seventeen going on eighteen. She looked about fifteen going on sixteen, but none of that mattered to the school. She was a student, a sophomore, as far as Headmaster Grimm was concerned, even though her father, the Good King, had specifically requested she be placed within the senior class when she entered Ever After High.

 _Just another of Papa's wishes being ignored by the morons of Bookend._

The school she stood before was gorgeous. Old ivy climbed the stone walls of what she could only assume were the dorms, and a good-sized canal cut the green in half-

Laughter reached her ears, and she noticed a trio of students making their way towards her, lost in conversation. She quickly darted into the bushes, watching the students in silence. The shorter one reminded her of Apple- with her blonde curls and almost sickeningly sweet and cheery disposition. It was the other two that peaked her interest. The young man's sandy hair fell slightly into his eyes, and he listened intently as the blonde talked, his hand tangled tightly with the other girl's- the girl of whom was... green? She had to be seeing things. There was no way that a person could be green.

"... definitely think that..."

As they got closer, the green girl's head snapped towards where she was hiding. Choking on a gasp, she attempted to duck further into the bushes as the green girl pulled away from her companions and made her way towards the bushes. Frantic, she pushed herself as far back into the bushes as humanly possible as the girl slowly parted the bushes.

Violet eyes met brown, and after a moment, the green girl glanced back at her friends before turning her attention back to the teenager in the bushes. Her voice was soft, lilting, as she asked one simple question.

"Why are you hiding in the bushes?"

She swallowed, struggling to think of a reason. "I... I..." But the green girl held a finger to her lips, and stood. She turned her back to the bushes, tucking her hands behind her back.

"Yero, why don't you meet us in the dorm? Glinda and I will be right up." After a moment, the young man nodded and did as told, leaving the two girls alone. She then tugged on the blonde's sleeve, and the girls turned back to the bushes. Slowly, both girls knelt down, and the green girl instantly clapped a hand over the blonde's mouth. "Don't make a sound, Glinda." The blonde nodded. The green girl turned back to her. "Who are you?"

"I... I..." She swallowed, her voice coming out soft. "My name's Raven."

"What are you doing in the bushes?" The blonde whispered, pushing the green girl's hand away.

"I... I..."

"Do you even know where you are?" The green girl asked, and Raven shook her head. "You're in Oz. At Shiz University, actually."

"Maybe we should get her inside-" The blonde started, but turned to her friend, letting out a soft squeal. "But... how are we going to? All guests have to sign in with Morrible-"

The green girl waved it away. "We'll say that she's my and Nessa's cousin, come to visit from Upper Munch."

So that was how Raven found herself wedged between the blonde- Glinda- and the green girl, who she discovered was named Elphaba, standing in the headmistress's office, staring at this... what she could only describe as a fish-woman.

"This is your... cousin, Miss Elphaba?" The green girl nodded.

"Yes, Madame Morrible. Raven Evella is my Aunt Sophelia's youngest daughter. She was born and raised in Ev, until she moved to Upper Munch to attend boarding school. She finally got permission from Aunt Sophelia to attend Shiz early." The girl in question shifted uncomfortably on her feet, trying hard to keep eye contact with the headmistress. She caught Elphaba's gaze as the green girl reached out and took her hand, lacing their fingers. She gave Raven's hand a squeeze, and lifted her head. "If it's all right, I promised Aunt Sophelia that Raven could stay with me while she was here- at least, until she could get settled into her own dorm room. Her things will be shipped from Upper Munch once she's got a permanent place to stay."

Morrible seemed to consider Elphaba's request before consenting. "As long as it's okay with Miss Glinda, then your cousin may stay with you for the time being, Miss Elphaba."

"I don't mind." Glinda spoke up, giving the younger girl a bright smile. Once Raven had signed the guest book- she had to stop and remind herself not to sign 'Queen', for she was no longer a Queen, but an Evella, whoever they were- Elphaba and Glinda led her out of the Morrible's office. As soon as the coast was clear, Elphaba grabbed Raven's hand and the three girls rushed up the stairs towards their dorm, a huge weight lifting off Raven's shoulders.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

The door of Dorm 1031 shut softly and locked with a click.

Elphaba leaned back against the door, watching the girl who she'd just boldly lied for down in Morrible's office. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, nor younger than fifteen, her long black hair streaked with purple and pulled back in a braid. Her skin was pale, and she had the biggest violet eyes anyone had ever seen. For a very brief moment, Elphaba felt as though she were looking at herself from an alternate universe. The dark purple dress she wore hit her knees, and she wore a pair of black ballet flats; clearly, she'd lain in bed dressed and ready to run-

 _She's a lot like you, before you met Glinda and Yero. A lot like you were last year. Except she looks terrified._

Raven stood nervously wringing her hands, gaze darting between the floor and the green girl standing across from her. The blonde sat on the edge of her bed, and there was a guy sitting at a desk, watching her from the corner of his eye as he flipped through a notebook.

"I lied for you, now I want you to tell me who you are, and how you got here."

The girl glanced at her, swallowing her nerves. For some reason, this green girl made her nervous, but it was more... well, she couldn't explain the type of nervous this girl made her. "My name is Raven. I'm from... Bookend."

"Bookend?" The girl raised an eyebrow. She nodded. "And... where is that?"

"It..." But she snapped her mouth shut. "I couldn't... tell you. I... I don't know how I got here, exactly."

The green girl shared a glance with the blonde. A conversation passed between the pair, and eventually, she offered,

"The only way I can think is if she came over the rainbow, Glinda."

"But is that even possible, Elphie? Going over the rainbow? I know that lullaby of your mother's talks about going somewhere over the rainbow, but do you think it's _really_ possible?"

The green girl- Elphie- bit her lip, tears misting her gaze briefly. "I don't know, Glinda. I always thought it was a reference to when someone died. Going over the rainbow, to no more pain and suffering... stuff like that." She turned back to Raven. "How old are you?"

"S... seventeen. But... at EAH, I was forced into the sophomore class with all the fifteen-year-olds, even though my father had had me privately taught by tutors until I turned fifteen. Headmaster Grimm ignored my father's wishes and put me in the sophomore class instead of the senior class, which means I also had to room with them." She rolled her eyes, and the pair shared a glance. _She's only a year and a half younger than us._

"What's... E-A-H?" The blonde asked, and Raven turned to her. She reminded her of Apple- curly blonde hair, pale skin, and big blue eyes. _Exactly like Apple_. She shook her head, sending thoughts of her blonde roommate from her head. _Former roommate._

"Ever After High. It's... the private high school in Bookend, that children of all fairy tale characters attend, so they can... can... learn... learn to follow in the footsteps of their parents... so that the stories can keep being told, and their destinies can be pre... predetermined."

"So... you're a fairy tale character? The daughter of a fairy tale character?" Raven nodded.

"Who?" Glinda asked, glancing at Fiyero, who shrugged, setting the notebook down.

"The... the Evil... the Evil Qu..."

The blonde started, mouth dropping open in shock. _"The Evil Queen?"_

Elphie ignored her roommate. "You don't want to be the Evil Queen, do you?" She asked softly, seeing the tears begin to well in Raven's violet eyes. The girl shook her head.

"Legacy Day is coming up."

"Legacy Day?" The young man asked, and she glanced over her shoulder.

"It's... it's the day where you pledge to follow your destiny- you're parents' destiny really- and sign your name in the Storybook of Legends. I didn't want to. I don't want to be evil, I don't want to lose all my friends and my freedom... but Apple... she doesn't _understand._.."

"Apple?" The young man asked, and she finally turned to face him.

"My roommate. She's Snow White's daughter. Her destiny is to be the next _Snow White_..." She reached up, quickly brushing the tears away. She hated crying; it was always so messy and it took her minutes to calm down and stop- hours if she was really upset. But considering the last few hours... hell, the last several _days_... it wasn't any surprise that she was now a blubbering mess.

The man quickly stood, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to her. She accepted it, with a watery smile. "Thank you."

"That's Fiyero." Elphie replied, nodding to the man. "Glinda, my roommate."

"Yero and Elphie are dating." Glinda added, and Raven nodded, blowing her nose. She turned back to the green girl.

"I didn't purposefully intrude. I didn't mean to end up here, I swear. I just... I wanted out of Bookend... I want to write my own destiny. I don't want others to write it for me. I don't want something that's predetermined."

Elphie nodded, letting the words sink in. Then, she pushed herself away from the door, making her way towards the girl. After a moment, she took Raven's hand, squeezing gently. "Then you're in the right place. We aren't bound by storybooks or fairy tales here. They're nothing but stories and folklore. There are no pledges or Legacy Days or Storybooks of Legends in Oz. We write our own destinies, and no one can get in our way. Nothing is predetermined here."


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

That night, after Fiyero returned to Briscoe Hall, Glinda and Elphaba split the blankets and pillows between them, making a bed for Raven on the floor between the their beds. She'd managed beforehand to pack a few toiletries- her toothbrush, hairbrush, shampoo and the like, but hadn't thought to pack a change of clothes or her pajamas, seeing as she was so intent on making it out of the school without being caught and away from Bookend. She'd barely remembered to grab the small stone-carved jewelry box her parents had given her when she was a child before she'd left.

Glinda lent her a nightgown, and once her knapsack was tucked beneath the pillows- for each girl had given her one from their set of two- she settled down as Elphaba turned out the lights. Spring break began that weekend, and Glinda, who would normally be going back to Gillikin for break, decided to stay at Shiz so Elphaba wouldn't be alone.

Raven lay among the blankets, trying to will herself to sleep, to no avail. "Elphaba? Glinda?"

"Yes?" Elphaba's voice was soft, and Raven heard the bed shift as the green girl moved onto her side.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding-"

"You're not intruding." Glinda spoke up, from her bed on Raven's right. Her voice was tired, and she yawned.

"But I am. I'm a random girl from a land you've never met, who just shows up on your campus one day, that you willingly lie for so I won't get caught tresspassing-"

"You're fleeing a bad situation." Elphaba replied, cutting her off softly. "Trust me, I fully get it, and I don't blame you for running away. If I had the chance, I'd have done the same thing."

Raven turned towards Elphaba's bed, but the green girl didn't add anything further to clarify her statement. But it was evident, the barely concealed hurt in her voice. _What does that mean?_

"As long as Horrible Morrible thinks you're Elphie's cousin, you're welcome at Shiz, and welcome to stay with us. And honestly, you and Elphie look enough alike, you could be sisters. You look more alike than Elphie and Nessa do- and they're blood sisters." Glinda yawned again, and within minutes, she was snoring softly, curled around one of her pink pillows. After a moment, Raven shifted onto her side, facing Elphaba's bed.

"You have a sister? What's she like?"

"She's sixteen. She doesn't have any arms."

"That's horrible."

Elphaba shrugged. "It's my fault. If I hadn't been born green, my mother wouldn't have chewed pinnoble leaves and Nessa wouldn't have been born armless."

"That's not your fault." Raven whispered. "It was the leaves or whatever they were that caused her deformity. It's basic science." Elphaba nodded, though Raven couldn't see her, knowing she was right.

"Do you have any siblings?" The question startled the teenager momentarily.

Silence. "... no. Well... no... unless you count Apple."

"I thought she was just your roommate."

"She is. But _technically_ , she's my step... step-niece, I think. Maybe my stepsister. I can't exactly remember which."

"How can she be your stepsister, unless-"

"My mother is Snow White's stepmother, and we share the same father, which makes Snow White my older half-sister, by my father's first marriage."

"And therefore, you're Apple's aunt, because she's Snow White's daughter." Elphaba concluded, and Raven nodded, sighing.

"Our father is the Good King. Snow's his daughter by his first wife, I'm his daughter by his second. We share his DNA, making us half-sisters through him. So we're stepsisters _and_ half-sisters. And Apple is my half-step-niece."

"How are you stepsisters?"

Raven sighed. "I heard a rumor once that my mother and father had me out of wedlock, and that it was assumed for a time that I was the child of another man. That I was passed off as Snow White's stepsister to hide the fact that I had been born before their marriage, but in actuality, I'm her half-sister by our father. If the rumor is _true_ , and I was truly born before their marriage took place, then I have no claim to the throne of the Good Kingdom. Snow White holds it, and it will automatically go to Apple. Which, honestly, I could care less if I ever take the throne of any kingdom. I want nothing to do with power, or the Royals who run in those circles."

Elphaba let her words sink in, before,

"I've read that in some versions of that fairy tale, the Evil Queen and the Good Queen were one and the same, which if we go by that logic, would make you and Snow White regular sisters. Apple would still be your niece, however."

"That sounds almost easier to handle than steps and halves." She licked her lips. "You have... our fairy tales here?"

"My sister and I grew up reading the stories about Snow White and Red Riding Hood; they went by different names- _The Porcelain Princess and the Men of Stone, Little Bobbin Girl and Her Basket of Buttons_ , and the like- but the premises were still the same, the morals and lessons still the same. True love conquers all and never trust strangers-"

"Never stray from the path." Raven whispered, thinking of Cerise and the conflict she seemed to feel whenever she talked about becoming the next Red Riding Hood.

 _"It's like I have no say in which path I can take. If I stray from the path, I'm punished, but if I stay on the path, my life is... is not my own."_

"And I strayed from the path."

Elphaba pushed herself onto her elbow, leaning over the side of her bed to meet the girl's gaze in the darkness. "What?" Raven looked up, meeting Elphaba's gaze despite the darkness. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Goodnight, Elphaba." The green girl nodded. As her breathing eventually became even, Raven reached beneath the pillows, slipping her hand into her knapsack and pulling something out. In the darkness, she studied the designs of the green glass bottle, unaware that its twin lay under a set of pillows only a foot or so away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

She awoke the next morning, finding herself alone in the dorm. Elphaba and Glinda were nowhere to be found, and after a moment, she got up, returning the pillows to their respective beds and folding the blankets before doing the same. As she knelt to pick up her knapsack, she found the note on nightstand waiting for her.

 _Raven,_

 _Elphie went to tell Yero goodbye before he catches the train back to the Vinkus. I went along, and we'll stop by the bakery in the cafeteria and pick up breakfast for us. You're welcome to anything in both our closets to wear; we'll see you soon._

 _\- Glinda_

After setting the knapsack on Elphaba's bed, she turned to Glinda's side of the dorm. Everything was decked out in pink, from the bedspread to the decor... _It's like Apple's side of the room, except with Apple, everything's in red._ Her gaze landed on the closet and she made her way towards it.

How Glinda managed to keep doors closed was beyond her, seeing as it was stuffed to the hilt. Dresses in all cuts and colors filled the closet, and after several minutes of just letting her eyes drink in the colors and styles, she selected a dark purple dress from the closet. It took several minutes for her to get the closet closed to the point where it would stay, but once it was closed, she turned to Elphaba's side of the room.

The green girl's side of the dorm was simple, decorated in dark blues and shades of black. She made her way to the closet and pulled open the door. A few simple dresses hung in the closet, far fewer than Glinda's, but none the less pretty. After several minutes, she found a pair of dark mesh leggings and a light black jacket. Once finally dressed, she grabbed her brush from her knapsack and made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door softly behind her as the door to the dorm opened.

"Raven, we're back! We brought breakfast-"

Elphaba nudged Glinda, nodding towards the bathroom door, and the blonde nodded. Glinda quickly set the tray of drinks and bag of pastries on the nightstand between the beds as Elphaba took a seat on her bed and slipped out of her boots, gently pushing Raven's knapsack out of the way. Something landed on the ground at her feet, and she reached down, scooping it up. Her eyes widened. "Elphie, what is it?"

"Sorry, I was in the bathroom-" Raven stopped, eyes lighting on Elphaba holding the green glass bottle. "Where did you get that?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Elphaba replied, finally meeting the girl's gaze. Raven slowly made her way towards the girls, reaching out and taking it from the green girl.

"My father gave it to me. It was my mother's."

"No, it was my mother's." Elphaba replied, reaching for the bottle, but Raven held it against her chest. "My father gave it to me after she died, it's all I have left of her-"

Raven shook her head. "I've had this bottle for years."

"Elphie, check under your pillow, just to be safe." Glinda replied, sitting on her bed. Sighing, the green girl did as told, reaching beneath her pillow. Raven watched, eyes widening, as she pulled out a green glass bottle, that looked _exactly_ like hers. Glinda's blue eyes darted between the bottle in Elphaba's hand and the bottle in Raven's. "Wait a minute... if you both have green glass bottles, and they both belonged to your mothers..."

The two girls locked eyes, letting Glinda's words sink in. "Wait, wait, wait. Glinda are you saying that you think that... that our mothers are... sisters?" Glinda met her roommate's gaze. "Because my Aunt Sophelia died when I was ten. She had no children."

"I'm saying that maybe your mothers are the same person, Elphie."

The green girl shook her head. "No. There's no way that's possible. My mother died when I was a toddler; she died after Nessa was born, there's no way that's true!"

"Elphie, we don't know what happens when someone goes over the rainbow. Don't you think it's... possible?" She could see the pain in Elphaba's eyes, the pain of losing her mother at such a young age, and the scars it had left behind, for Melena had truly loved her daughter, and despite her green skin, had seen the little girl for what she truly was- a beautiful little creature that had deserved all the love in the world. Love she had never gotten from her father, and love that was there, but minimal from her little sister, because Nessa was a child, and the sisters were separated.

"That my mother died and went over the rainbow to some... new place and started a new life without me?" Elphaba turned her gaze to the blonde. She shook her head. "No. My mother loved me. She wouldn't leave me-"

"She died, Elphie." Glinda whispered.

"At least your mother loved you. My mother doesn't; never has." Raven's voice was soft, pained; it was a pain Elphaba recognized, because she felt it herself.

"But you both obviously have the same green glass bottle. Couldn't it be even slightly possible?"

The girls shared a glance. "What's your mother's name, Raven?"

The teenager swallowed thickly, meeting Elphaba's gaze. "You mean besides the 'Evil Queen'?" Elphaba nodded. "M... M... Melena. My mother's name is Melena."

The horrified look on Elphaba's face told Raven all she needed to know.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

Pounding pulled Madeline Hatter from her sleep, and it took a few minutes before she was finally able to climb out of bed and make her way to the door. A moment passed, before she glanced at the clock on her mirrorphone.

Six A.M. exactly.

Who the hell would be waking her up at six in the morning? And more importantly, _why_?

She quickly ran through a mental list of her friends who would willingly wake her up at this un-wonderful hour: Cedar wasn't the type that would. Cerise might, because she was usually up at all hours of the night, but not without a little warning first. Kitty was sound asleep, and Lizzie preferred daytime interactions to nighttime ones. Briar was always sleeping, and Ashlynn was... well, Ashlynn, so no. Bunny or Alistar might, but they were both back in Wonderland...

That only left Raven.

She shook her head. Raven usually messaged her before coming over, just to make sure it was okay and that they wouldn't wake Kitty up. Besides, they usually took blankets and pillows up to the lookout and spent the hour before dawn there, chatting and sharing secrets over Wonderland Rosebud tea as the sun rose over the town of Bookend and the land of the Ever After.

Unless Raven had decided that there was just something too important to tell her, and she'd decided to break from 'protocol' as the young witch called it, and rushed over because it was just too important and exciting.

She yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she moved towards the door; something crackled beneath her foot, and she looked down; in her half-awake state, she didn't register that it was a rolled up piece of parchment until she'd knelt down and picked it up. The purple ribbon that was tied around it made it clear that it was from Raven. Ignoring the pounding on the door, she quickly untied the ribbon and unfolded it-

 _"Maddie! Let me in! It's an emergency! It's about Raven! She's-"_ Absentmindedly, Maddie pulled the door open, her eyes never leaving the note. Apple White stopped her pounding, even more worry filling her eyes as she caught Maddie's gaze. The Wonderlandian silently held out the note, tears pricking her eyes. Quickly glancing at the other girl, she took the note, gaze shifting until she recognized Raven's tidy scrawl.

 _Maddie,_

 _I know this seems abrupt, and I'm so sorry for not telling you goodbye properly, but I have no other choice. I can't do this anymore; I can't attend EAH and pretend to blindly go along with my destiny, when my destiny is the last thing I want. The rehearsal for Legacy Day made me realize that I don't want to become my mother; I don't want to lose everything, simply so everyone else can have their happy ending. I want to chart my own path, find my own destiny, make my own life on my terms. I don't want the black cloud that is my mother hanging over me for the rest of my life. So I've decided to leave EAH, and Bookend. I don't know exactly where I'll go, but I know that wherever I go, whatever I do, I'll be going and doing on my terms, no one else's. I'm going to create life how I want to live it, without anyone telling me to follow someone else's destiny. Please, Maddie, try to understand, I have to do what's best for me, and this is what's best. I'll never forget you. You're the best friend a girl could ever ask for. Think of me fondly, and remember me when you see the dragons fly. _

_Your Best Friend Forever After,_

 _Raven_

"I don't understand. _How could she do this to me? I'm her roommate! She's such an important part of my destiny! Why would she let you know that she was running away and not me?"_

Maddie's gaze narrowed, and she snatched the note back, glaring at Apple. "This isn't about you, Apple! This is about Raven!"

 _"How can you say it's about her?"_ Apple demanded, and Maddie quickly pushed the blonde into the hallway and shut the door behind them when she heard Kitty meow in her sleep from her bed in the tree. The last thing they needed to do was wake a very irate Cheshire at six A.M. on a Saturday, when the majority of the campus was still sleeping. "This is about me! What will I do now? Without Raven, I'll never be poisoned, or get kissed by my prince, or become queen-"

A hand slapped over her mouth, and she found herself staring into Maddie's gaze. "Now you listen to me, you selfish, conceited..." She stopped, deciding that silence was probably better than what she really wanted to say. "I may not be happy that Raven ran away, but if it makes her happy, then I'm happy for her! She's doing something for herself, thinking of herself and what _she_ wants and not what _you_ want. She's following her heart, which is more than I can say for you, who's only concern is for your own happily ever after! Raven has more heart than you do or ever will and she deserves only the best! And I hope she gets it! If you want my honest opinion, she's more of a Snow White than you are _because_ of her heart! Now you can either be happy for her or not, and personally, I'm going to be happy for her! I _hope_ she gets her Happily Ever After, because she deserves it, and you..." She stopped, removing her hand from Apple's mouth. "And you don't."

Then, without another word, she turned and stormed back into her dorm, shutting the door softly behind her without a glance back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.**

"No. There's no way that's true."

Glinda bit her lip, watching as Elphaba began to pace, still holding tight to her glass bottle. She knew the green witch well enough now to know that when Elphaba didn't want to believe something, she'd rationalize it to death before finally giving in. Apparently, the possibility that her mother was alive somewhere- had a husband and another daughter- and left her behind, was worth over-rationalizing.

"She wouldn't do that to me. She wouldn't just up and leave me behind. She wouldn't. She loves me-"

"Elphie, you said it yourself. She died." Glinda whispered, and after a moment the green girl looked up, having stopped mid-pace. "We don't know where people go when they die. Maybe they go over the rainbow like Raven did. It's a possibility."

"But she loved me." The whisper was soft, and choked with tears.

"She still loves you, Elphie, I'm sure of it. She just... went somewhere else. Somewhere where she's healthy and alive and... and so she started a new life, that doesn't mean she did it on purpose, she made the best of a situation." Slowly, the girl nodded, drinking in her friend's words. For all her frou-frou outfits, Glinda could show that she had a brain, despite the blonde. "Maybe you should compare bottles? Make sure they're really... you know, similar."

After a moment, Raven and Elphaba shared a glance, considering the blonde's words. Then Elphaba held her hand out, and after a moment of hesitation, Raven reluctantly handed over the bottle she held. She watched in nerved silence as Elphaba studied the bottles intently. What surprised the green girl was that both bottles had a torn piece of paper taped to each, the only difference was that Raven's had the ELI- while hers had -XIR left on the tape. when she held the two bottles side by side, edges resting gently together, the letters spelled out ELIXIR, in messy scrawl that was very, very familiar.

 _Mama's handwriting._

The young witch took a shaky breath, her gaze slowly moving to meet Raven's, and the meaning was clear.

The bottles were not only identical, but the torn writing was proof that Melena had once possessed both. Her mother's handwriting could be picked out of a crowd, Elphaba knew. She still kept the handwritten letter her mother had written to her before she passed away, to be opened on her twenty-first birthday, her family's nickname for her scrawled across the front of it.

Both bottles were Melena's, Elphaba was sure of it.

"They're identical. And the handwriting, it's my mother's." Elphaba whispered, holding Raven's bottle out to her. The younger girl instantly took it, cradling it to her chest.

"And mine." Raven whispered, quickly meeting Elphaba's gaze, but the green girl ducked her head, before reaching over and returning her bottle to its place beneath her pillow. She then curled up on the bed, dark eyes welling with unshed tears. Clearly, this new discovery had torn down everything she thought about her mother- that her mother hadn't died, but had disappeared, going somewhere else and building a new family, leaving her precious daughter with a man who refused to accept her as his daughter, simply because of her skin.

"So you're sisters." Glinda replied softly, wanting nothing more than to pull her green roommate into her arms and let her cry, but she knew that Elphaba would only push her away, so she stayed seated on her own bed. "Half sisters, since you share the same mother, but different fathers."

"I don't know who my father is," Elphaba finally whispered. "but I do know that it's not Frex. Not by blood or birth. I hold no relation to that man, other than the fact that he was married to my mother. I kind of wish I could say the same about Nessa, but we actually share blood. Her father was Turtle Heart, but Frex immediately claimed her as his own, despite her lack of limbs. He'd rather have an armless daughter over a green one. I don't care anymore; I did once upon a time, but now..." She shrugged, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Now I could care less. As soon as I graduate, I'm moving to the City to work for the Wizard, and I'm not looking back."

"Wizard?" Raven furrowed a brow.

"He rules over Oz, but no one has ever seen him. He's... the silent guiding hand that pulls the strings here."

"So... like a king?"

Glinda nodded. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Her tone was dry, sarcastic. She'd heard the rumors coming out of the City, that he was no more wonderful than Doctor Dillamond a goat, and that he was soon going to enact a series of laws to hurt various citizens- mainly Animals. "But you have to marry Fiyero first and have a bunch of royal babies before you run off to work for the Wizard, Elphie."

The green girl met her gaze, sniffling. "He's not going to marry me, Glinda. Why would anyone want to be tied to the green girl for the rest of their life? No, Yero will marry someone else-"

"That's not true and you know it, Elphie." Glinda replied. "He loves you, and he's going to marry you, despite your protests." The blonde suddenly turned to Raven. "Do you have a boyfriend? Or... did you?" Elphaba relaxed, relieved that Glinda's attention had turned to Raven. She buried her face in the pillow, forcing herself to take deep breaths to keep from completely breaking down.

"I... well... no." Raven stammered; she'd had a crush, certainly but no boyfriend. But that crush would never be acted on now that she was in Oz and away from Ever After. She blushed, her mind going to Dexter and his crooked grin, that tilted crown and those glasses he was always losing or nearly dropping. She'd had a crush on Dexter from the moment they'd met in spellementary. He'd been the only child to approach her and ask if she wanted to play; he, unlike the others, hadn't run when she'd entered the room, hadn't screamed for their parents, or hidden simply because she was 'daughter of the Evil Queen'.

"Then we'll have to find you one here." Glinda replied in excitement at the prospect of matchmaking. Raven glanced at Elphaba, but the green girl buried her face in the pillows.


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

"What's so important that you had to wake up all up at seven on a Saturday?" Briar asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she collapsed in an armchair in the student lounge. Since it was early on a Saturday, most of the students were still sleeping, leaving the lounge free.

"Whatever it is, she called all of us here." Briar looked up to find Cerise and Maddie standing across from her, both looking irate at the interruption that was Apple.

"She already woke me up at six this morning." Maddie grumbled, plopping into a chair. Cerise sat on the arm, pulling her cloak tighter around her as Ashlynn and Hunter entered, searching for them; Cedar followed behind with Dexter, Hopper and Charming in tow, all still in their pajamas and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Once everyone had gathered, Apple, who'd been standing by the fireplace lost in her own thoughts, turned around to address the group.

"This better be good, Apple." Cerise growled, crossing her arms.

 _"It's not good! None of this is good! Without her, my story will never play out, I'll never be poisoned, which means I'll never be kissed by my prince, and I'll never get my happily ever after! I need her!"_

A series of worried glances passed between the other students; not for Apple's story, but for Raven's safety, a worry that the blonde was going over the edge. Sure, they were here to learn how to follow their stories, but maybe Apple was taking it way too far. No, these looks were filled with worry for Apple's sanity.

"What about Raven?" Cerise asked tentatively.

"What about Raven?" Apple repeated the question slowly as though she were having a hard time understanding the words.

"That's exactly what Cerise just asked, Apple." Briar spoke up. "What about Raven, shouldn't you be worried about her?"

"Why would I be worried about her? Her story isn't the one at stake here! _Mine is!_ Which means we need to find her and bring her back so she can sign the Storybook of Legends and fulfill her destiny so I can fulfill mine!"

That simple statement pushed several of the other students over the edge, but only one dared speak out. _"How can you be so... so selfish! Did you ever think for once that maybe destiny isn't the most important thing in the world? You read the note! Raven wants to create her own destiny, her own happily-ever-after! We should be happy for her!"_

Every head turned to stare at the hatter's daughter; Maddie had had it. She'd listened to Apple bitch and complain for twenty minutes about how Raven had 'ruined her destiny' when in reality, she was only concerned with her own, and now she was trying to turn Raven's friends and few friendly acquaintances against her for running off to find her own destiny. Despite their feelings on destiny, many in the room did count Raven as a friend, even though they never said anything. But away from others, Brair and Raven often chatted about music; Hopper often asked her for tips on how to talk to girls and enjoyed her company, and Ashlynn was constantly asking the witch for fashion advice. Charming even tolerated her- more, they tolerated each other- and Dexter... well, he'd had a crush on Raven since spellementary school. But now that she was gone...

They each adored Raven in their own right, and didn't appreciate Apple's continuous backstabbing comments.

"I, for one, don't appreciate your nastiness towards Raven, when she's not even here to defend herself!" The Mad Hatter's daughter may have been mad, but when she was furious-

"Leave her alone! I hope she stays lost, because if she comes back-"

"If she comes back, she can sign the book and I'll get my happily-ever-"

Silence reigned through the room, silence that followed a resounding slap that had happened moments earlier. Maddie had gotten out of her chair and stormed over to the blonde, and then proceeded to rear back and smack her hard across the face, stopping whatever tirade that was coming out of her mouth at the moment. Everyone stared at the pair, stunned, for Maddie had never lost her temper in such a way. Apple's wide blue eyes watched her in shock, one hand cradling her cheek.

"You deserved that and so much more, Apple White! Now leave Raven alone! She ran away for a reason, and you are a big part of it! I understand now why she ran away! Living with you as a roommate, I would too! You are perhaps the most selfish person in all of Ever After, and that's saying something, considering who your mother is! If anyone deserved to be the next Snow White, it's not you, it's Raven! She's everything a Snow White is supposed to be! Kind and good towards others and caring and... and pure! She's more pure than you can ever think of being! Frankly, I think you fit the role of Evil Queen better, because you're just as selfish as she is, maybe more so! You stay away from Raven! Whatever destiny she finds or makes for herself, she deserves, and I hope she's happy! Because she deserves it! As for you," the Wonderlandian silently studied the princess. "I think you belong in Mirror Prison with the Evil Queen. You're already acting like an Evil Queen."

And without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. After several minutes, the others shared glances and then got up, each making for the door, some without a backwards glance towards the blonde, others with scathing glares or curses muttered under their breath, though all seemed to agree that Apple had gone too far, and none of them wanted to play her game.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

Elphaba and Raven didn't speak for a day, because Glinda wouldn't allow them to go any longer than that. So it was two days later when the three girls found themselves at a table in the Tangled Heart cafe not far from campus. The girls had come to some unspoken truce, and Glinda had brought a notebook with them, to jot down notes.

"When were you both born?"

"Seriously, Glinda?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow. The blonde nodded.

The two girls shrugged, sharing a glance.

"I'm seventeen; I turn eighteen in October." Raven whispered, and Glinda quickly jotted it down before turning to Elphaba.

"You know how old I am, Glinda."

"Please, Elphie? Humor me?"

A sigh, before, "I turn twenty in September."

Glinda did the math in her head. So they were exactly a year and a half apart, which didn't make sense, since Nessa was fifteen, unless-

"Unless Bookend is in another dimension."

Both girls turned to her; Raven wrapped her hands around her coffee up. "What do you mean? Another dimension?"

"You think you came over the rainbow, right?" Raven nodded. "Well, for us, we don't know where the rainbow leads."

"It's just a rainbow, Glinda, and just an expression in a song." Elphaba replied softly, sipping her coffee.

"But what if it's not just an expression, Elphie?" The blonde replied. "You said it yourself, you've been studying it in Sorcery- straightening the dimensions or whatever you call it."

"Bending the universe." The green girl whispered, flicking her wrist. Since coming to Shiz, she'd been slowly gaining control of her powers; having passed both Sorcery One, Two and Three in two short semesters, she was now in Sorcery Four and was signed up for Morrible's Sorcery seminar in the fall. Raven sat back, watching as the green girl flicked a finger, sending the sugar container dashing towards her. The container floated above Raven's coffee, and slowly, Elphaba twirled her index finger; a steady stream of sugar poured into Raven's coffee, stirring slowly before stopping and righting itself. Once it was back on the table, Elphaba rubbed her hands together, causing the container to roll back and forth for several minutes before stopping and returning to its place by the creamer.

"So I'm not the only one that can do magic." Raven whispered, feeling suddenly relieved. Elphaba furrowed a brow.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The younger girl bit her lip, before slowly, lifting a hand and aiming it at Elphaba's coffee cup. The cup in question rose a couple inches off the table, before she slowly returned it to the table. Glinda's mouth dropped open in shock, but Elphaba just stared at her. "I've been able to do things since I was a kid, and... being the daughter of the Evil Queen... well... Mother's always pushed me towards... being evil. But I don't want to be. I just feel so..."

"Misunderstood." Elphaba replied and Raven nodded. She swallowed. "Mama died when I was four. Nessa was a baby, maybe a week old when Mama died. I guess... if she went over the rainbow..."

"My mother attended Ever After High." Raven whispered.

"So, if your mother died, Elphie, and she went over the rainbow into another dimension, and she was young again, she could have attended this Ever After High, and become the Evil Queen and... become Raven's mother."

"Mama... did have a mean streak." Elphaba replied softly, thinking of the few memories she had of her mother where Melena had lost her temper. But for the most part, Melena had been loving- as loving as one could be to a green-skinned toddler. If anything, Elphaba had been more neglected than abused; something she saw in Raven as well. Something that hid behind those violet eyes, something Elphaba knew well. "She neglected you, didn't she?"

Raven slowly raised her gaze to the green girl's and nodded once. "She kept trying to get me to be evil, but when I refused... she took to ignoring me instead. And my father... the Good King, he... was always busy. Not that he neglected me like she did, but he neglected me in a different way-"

"Didn't have time for you." Raven nodded again, and Elphaba sighed. "Exactly like Frex." She whispered. At Raven's quizzical stare, she clarified, "When my father wasn't preaching, using me as a tool to preach, or having a wild affair with Turtle Heart, he was neglecting me in favor of Nessa. Because she's in a wheelchair, she was the one that needed all the attention. I was more servant than anything. I got into Shiz on full-ride scholarship; I took it, more to get out of the house than anything. Nessa wanted to come, but she can't until she turns seventeen."

The three girls lapsed into silence for several minutes before Glinda spoke up. "I think you're sisters. Half-sisters, like you and Nessa are, Elphie, but still sisters. Don't look at me like that. How can you not see the similarities- especially in your features? The same big eyes and heart-shaped faces. The same nose and mouth and cheekbones. I met your father the last time he came up to visit and brought Nessa, Elphie, and you do not look like him. The only thing you inherited from him is your hair and eye color. You said your mother's eyes were purple; Raven's eyes are purple. And the glass bottles- how could Raven have one if your mother gave you hers? Unless she had two. Maybe in Bookend whatever turned your skin green didn't work on Raven?"

"Ever After. Technically, it's the land of Ever After, Bookend is the main city-"

"Like the Emerald City." Elphaba clarified. Raven nodded, seeing the correlation. Eventually, the three young women finished their coffee and got up, gathering their things. "Come on. Let's go shopping. You need something to wear besides our clothes for the rest of the year."

Raven blushed, looking down at the black leggings and purple shirt she'd borrowed from them. "But I don't have any money-"

"That's okay. I've got you." Glinda replied, and Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"She really wants to go on a shopping spree." Glinda slung her arms through both Elphaba and Raven's, tugging them close.

"Come on, I think I know a store you'll both like."


	10. Chapter 10

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

"I'm confused. You told me that your sister is armless, but she's in a wheelchair-"

"She can walk, but because she has no arms, she has no real control of her upper body. She was placed in a wheelchair when she was little because she had difficulty walking, and now my father won't let her leave it. It's 'easier to take care of her' that way, or so he says."

Raven nodded, absorbing the information. The girls had gone shopping not long after and now sat in the dorm room, sorting through their things. Glinda had gladly paid for everything, and both Elphaba and Raven insisted on paying her back, but the blonde waved it away with a,

"My parents quite like Elphie. They said that I can get her whatever she needs. They look on her as a second daughter, and by extension, when I told them about you, they said that if you need anything to not hesitate to ask."

"When did you talk to them?" Raven asked.

"This morning. I explained the situation- very basic, so don't worry, and they said that you're as much family as Elphie is."

"And they're willing to for some random girl?"

"As far as they know, you're Elphie's cousin. I didn't tell them that you're her actually her half-sister."

"So I ran into Madame Morrible yesterday." Raven and Glinda looked up from their conversation, turning to Elphaba, who sat folding her clothing.

"What did she want?"

"She said that there is a three-person dorm not far from Briscoe Hall; three beds for three roommates. If we wanted to move there, we could move there during break and then Raven wouldn't have to be placed with anyone she doesn't know, so she could 'stick with family.'"

"The Pink Dormitory?" Glinda asked, shivering. "I thought that was where ten girls roomed together. Elphaba shook her head.

"That's Amhleah Hall, named for the founder's daughter, and that's clear on the other side of campus. This is Ozitaria Hall, named for the founder's wife. It's not far from Briscoe, and it's the oldest hall at Shiz; it was the first dorm built, back when Shiz was an all-girls school."

The other two shared a glance, before shrugging. "Do others live there?" Raven asked. Elphaba nodded.

"There's one dorm open; the rooms were built for three girls to room together. It's on the top floor. Should I tell her yes?" Glinda and Raven both thought about it for a moment, before the blonde nodded, turning to Raven. It would be nice to be with her friends- because she did consider both Elphaba and Glinda friends, even if she and Elphaba were sisters. They'd been friends first.

"Yeah. Let's do it."

Without another word, Elphaba got off the bed, sprinting to the doorway, and soon she was gone, dashing down the hallway and stairs to find the headmistress. Not half an hour later, the green girl returned, out of breath but excited. "She said we can start moving in today if we wanted. She already gave me the keys." She held up a small ring with three copper keys hanging from it. "One for each of us."

They started moving in that day; since Raven didn't have much, it was easier for her to move her things first. They crossed the campus, heading for the dorm; the sprawling ivy that covered the building gave it mystery, and after a moment, Raven followed Elphaba and Glinda into the building and up the stairs to the top floor. They headed down the hall, and Elphaba pulled out her key, unlocking a door on the left and pushing it open. All three girls entered in silence; three beds sat side by side in the room. Across from the beds sat three desks; a bathroom had been added to each door in Ozitaria Hall a few years back.

After a moment, Elphaba made her way to the bed by the window, dumping her own knapsack onto it. Glinda took the other bed, leaving the one in the middle for Raven. She set her things on it, looking around. A small fireplace sat in the corner; she wondered if all the dorms in this hall had fireplaces. "Can we shift things around?"

"I don't see why not." Elphaba replied, proceeding to move one of the desks across the room towards the window. Eventually, the girls got the dorm situated to their liking; Elphaba's bed and desk was by the window, Glinda had moved hers closer to the door, and Raven had shifted her bed until it was against the opposite wall, across from Elphaba and Glinda's, so that the three beds created a 'V' shape. Once everything was moved in- Glinda decided they would buy Raven some bedding tomorrow- the three girls sat on their beds, unsure of what to do. Finally, Raven spoke up.

"Do you mind rooming with me?"

Glinda and Elphaba shared a glance. "You're better than half the girls at this school." Glinda nodded in agreement, even though, not a short year ago, she'd been one of those 'girls'. But since rooming with Elphaba, she'd learned that life wasn't all about fashion and dating.

"What do we tell Morrible?"

"Nothing." Elphaba replied, as Raven bit her lip. "We stick to the story. The old fish doesn't know that my Aunt- our Aunt- died when she was ten from fever. As far as she knows, you and I are cousins, not half-sisters. And we don't waver on that." Raven nodded. "Right?" Glinda nodded. "I'll let Yero in on it when he comes up on Thursday."

"Do you think he'll be okay with keeping our secret?" Raven asked nervously as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Elphaba nodded without a moment's thought. "Yero's good at keeping secrets. We've kept our relationship from my father for almost two years. This is nothing compared to that."


	11. Chapter 11

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N:** **Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

Raven awoke to the sound of thunder; for a brief moment, she thought it had been a dream and she was back in her dorm at Ever After High, but then the fog cleared and she realized that Elphaba and Glinda were sleeping soundly across from her. Or, well, Glinda was.

Elphaba was nowhere to be found.

She pushed the dark purple covers of her bed back and got up, padding softly across the room to the door and slipping out it after checking that Elphaba wasn't in the bathroom. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized that Elphaba must have left the dormitory completely, and so made her way down the hall and the stairs, eventually making it outside. There was no sign of Elphaba anywhere around the dorm, and so she trekked through the campus, barefoot, until she came upon someone sitting by the suicide canal, arms wrapped around their legs, gaze turned to the stars.

"Elphaba?" The girl didn't turn around. "What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn't sleep. I keep thinking about us."

"Us?"

The green girl glanced over her shoulder. "You and me."

"Oh. What about us?" Tentatively, Raven joined her, folding her legs beneath her. She watched the older girl in silence for several minutes, before Elphaba finally spoke up.

"What's she like? In your world?"

Raven swallowed; she didn't particularly want to discuss her mother, but she knew that Elphaba was asking because she wanted to know. She wanted to know the mother she'd lost-

"She's... calculating. Everything she does has a reason behind it, a way to cause chaos and benefit her. She's trapped in Mirror Prison now."

"Mirror Prison?"

Raven nodded. "It's..." She stopped, not exactly sure how to explain it. How did she explain that the place their mother was trapped in was what Baba Yaga called the 'Mirror Dimension'- where a person trapped within could move between mirrors and look out, but not interact? She bit her lip, before, "It's complicated to explain."

Elphaba shrugged. "I was just curious."

They sat in silence for several minutes before,

"Am I the only one that finds it... a little strange? Us... being related?"

"No. I do too." It was now that Elphaba turned her gaze from the stars overhead to the teenager sitting beside her. "I mean, I'm used to having a sister, but Nessa and I... it's evident that we're half-sisters. She looks more like a Quadling, and Turtle Heart was a Quadling. Frex accepted Nessa more than me because she's not green. When Turtle Heart was killed, Frex was distraught. I think he really loved him."

Raven slowly scooted closer to Elphaba, before leaning over the edge to look into the water of the canal. The light of the moon captured both girls' features, and the younger girl tilted her head. "We do look alike, don't we? The same eyes- just different colors- and the same features-"

"Heart-shaped faces and high cheekbones; slender noses and cupid bows for lips." Elphaba finished, noting the similarities between the two. It also didn't help that Raven and she were close to the same height- about five foot five or so. Both were slender, but what made the probability that they were sisters even more certain was the fact that both girls possessed magic- that and the green glass bottles each had, with similar handwriting on them. "I think Glinda's right. We're sisters. Half-sisters, but still, sisters."

Raven nodded in agreement. _Half-sisters. Sister. I've never had a sister. Snow White wasn't a sister, and Apple doesn't count, not matter how complicated the family tree._

"Do you miss it?"

She looked up, drawn from her thoughts by Elphaba's voice. "Miss what?"

"Ever After."

The younger girl thought a moment, considering the question. _Did_ she miss Ever After? She missed her friends, like Maddie and Cerise and Cedar, but as for the school? No. Bookend? No way. And as for Apple...

"I miss my friends and my father, but no, I don't miss Ever After. And I certainly don't miss that bitch of a former roommate of mine." Elphaba snorted softly, rolling her eyes.

"She sounds like Glinda from last year- self-absorbed, handed everything she ever wanted, and demanding that everyone basically bow to her."

Raven laughed. "She pretty much is. All Apple cares about is her own destiny and how it affects her. She didn't give a damn about me or mine. I knew I had to get out of there before Legacy Day, otherwise-" She stopped, and Elphaba reached over, taking her hand with a gentle squeeze.

"I get it. It was a bad situation, and staying would only have made it worse. You did the right thing, running away." They lapsed into silence before, "You're here now; you're safe. I doubt anyone's noticed you've gone missing, and if they have, they have no idea how you escaped. I don't know that people go over the rainbow that often."

"Are you really glad I'm here?"

A moment passed, before Elphaba nodded. "You've made the rest of the year interesting. Besides, it's a fresh start for you... and I get to know a new member of my family. Yes, I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks, Elphaba."

The green girl nodded before getting to her feet and helping Raven up. "Come on, let's get back. We can sleep in tomorrow since it's spring break. Yero's coming up on Thursday, and we can go out to lunch or something."

They linked arms and started on the way back to the dorm. Halfway across campus, Raven asked,

"Does Fiyero like me? He doesn't seem too."

"He doesn't know you. Once he gets to know you, then he'll like you."

"How did you two meet, anyway?"

As she pulled open the door to the dorm, Elphaba turned back. "He nearly ran me over."

"Oh. Wait. _What_?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written 2013. Found 2017.- Licia**

She slipped into History on Monday, and quickly hurried to the empty desk by the window. Fiyero looked up as she slid into her seat, and grinned. Everyone had returned from break the day before and classes resumed; a moment passed, before Glinda entered with Elphaba behind her. The blonde took her seat beside Fiyero, leaving the seat between Raven and Fiyero for Elphaba.

Raven's arrival didn't go unnoticed, and whispers soon began to spread throughout the classroom-

"Yes, she's a new student! Haven't any of you ever seen a new student before?" Elphaba snapped, turning around to face the ones that were gossiping.

"But who _is_ she?" Milla asked softly, the only one not caught up the gossip. Elphaba's gaze softened; over the last year, she and Milla had gotten to be good friends. Not as good as she and Glinda, but still. She was someone Elphaba could talk to if she didn't want to talk to Glinda, and she had a brain that rivaled Elphaba's.

"She's my cousin, from Ev." And without another word, the green girl turned back to the front of the class as Doctor Dillamond entered.

"Good morning, class." Murmurs wafted up to meet him, and he quickly scanned the class, his gaze landing on Raven, who's mouth had dropped. Back in Ever After, well... there was no such thing as a talking animal, unless you counted the three little pigs or Hopper, but that was a more a curse than anything. She's never actually met an animal- a real animal who could talk. "You must be Miss... Evella, yes?" Raven nodded in silence. "Well, welcome to Shiz, Miss Evella."

"What is your problem?" Elphaba murmured, finally snapping Raven's gaze from the Goat.

"I... I've never... I..." She leaned over her desk. "In Ever After, there are no talking animals _except the Three Little Pigs_."

The green girl nodded slowly in understanding, before pulling out a notebook and pen and handing them to her. She then slid her notebook over to the girl. "You can copy my notes."

"But don't you need them?"

"Elphie takes notes ahead of class. She's got a really good memory, can remember almost anything she hears-"

"Partial echoic memory, Glinda." Elphaba replied, folding her arms on her desk.

"Right, that."

Before Fiyero could even think to add to the conversation, Dillamond started the lesson. Raven spent her time copying Elphaba's history notes, only occasionally glancing up; the girls had helped her pick up her books on Friday, but she hadn't touched them, too unsure of where to start. There were no classes under ridiculous names like 'Princessology' or 'Damsel-in-Distress Training'; the classes at Shiz, Raven had discovered, were closer to what she imagined a real university in Ever After High- or one of the surrounding kingdoms- to be like. She'd looked through the list of classes, with names like 'Ozian Literature', 'Political Science', 'History of Oz', and on and on; she'd signed up for 'Sorcery One', and knew that Elphaba was due to start the Sorcery seminar in the fall, but from what Raven could tell, that was the only course that focused exclusively on magic and myth. With the exception of 'Sorcery One' and a couple other courses, she had the same schedule as Elphaba and Glinda; Elphaba had made the argument to Morrible that it would be easier for her to get to used to the campus and the school in general if she stuck close to her and Glinda. To Elphaba's surprise, the headmistress had agreed.

Elphaba, meanwhile, sat with her head resting on her folded arms, listening to Dillamond, even as she stared at the back of Avaric's head. She let herself become lost in thought; she'd already studied the Great Gillikin Civil War and didn't care to relearn it. After several minutes, she felt something nudge her elbow, and she lifted her head, turning to find a slip of paper under her elbow. Raven was still copying her notes, and after a moment, she took it, unfolding the slip.

 _I'm having trouble following. Does he always drone on like this?_

Elphaba rolled her eyes with a soft snort before quickly grabbing a pen and scrawling something back. She folded it up and slid it back towards the girl, who slowly opened it.

 _All the time. You get used to it._

Raven nodded, scrawling something on it and sliding it back before turning another page in Elphaba's notebook and returning to jotting down notes. Silently, Elphaba unfolded the paper and scanned the new note, smiling softly.

 _As long as he doesn't make insanely hard tests on things we haven't studied so he can give us detention and then makes us spin straw into gold as punishment, I guess that's okay._

With a furrowed brow, Elphaba slipped the note back, which Raven quickly unfolded.

 _?_

A small smile tugged at the teenager's lips, as she wrote back,

 _It's a long story._

Elphaba nodded upon reading, before quickly jotting down,

 _I take it teachers at your old school were... special._

Raven snorted softly to herself. Special? Hardly. Half the blasted school thought they were special, but in reality all they were was ordinary. If anything, she was the special one, being the daughter of the Evil Queen and all, even though the last thing she wanted to do was follow in her mother's footsteps.

 _More like... it's complicated. Half the school thought they were special, most of the teachers were incompetent at best, and just plain stupid at worst, and Headmaster Grimm was..._

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

 _Headmaster Grimm?_

Raven bit the top of her pen, thinking.

 _Headmaster Milton Grimm. He's convinced that everyone must follow the stories and stick to destiny. He caters to the royal students, while ignoring the ones who think or even want to think differently. He's a real... a real... _

The green girl snorted softly before suggesting,

 _Bastard? Jackass? Son of a bitch?_

Raven grinned, catching Elphaba's eye. She quickly scrawled four words before handing the note back, Blondie's annoying catchphrase popping into her head.

 _Those sound just right._


	13. Chapter 13

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017. - Licia**

"So how was your first official day at Shiz, Raven?"

The girl shrugged as the quartet all took seats at a small table by a nearby window in the cafeteria. "It's been... interesting."

"I think Madame Morrible scared her in Sorcery One today." Elphaba replied, as she settled in the seat across from her sister before taking a bite of her salad.

"She _terrifies_ me, and I've only had _one class_ with the woman!" The teenager replied. "Only our mother has been able to do that-" She stopped, at the look on Elphaba's face. "Sorry."

But the green girl waved it away. "No worries."

The four students settled into silence, each becoming absorbed in their meals before one of them finally broke the silence. Or rather, until someone _else_ broke the silence.

"Hey Elphie."

The green-skinned witch looked up, to find an old childhood friend of hers standing at the end of the table, and she smiled softly. "Hey Boq. Don't you have Chemistry now?" The other student wrinkled his nose, a glimmer passing through his eyes.

"Normally yes, but since Professor Ledeva accidentally blew up the chemistry lab during one of his early classes today..." He shrugged. Elphaba snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Professor Ledeva? I knew that man couldn't compound his way out of a paper bag."

"Well he's currently facing termination for his little chemical compound mix up, and personally, I hope it happens. The man's completely incompetent."

The other three sat watching the exchange with mild interest in two, and confusion in the third. After a moment, Raven turned to Glinda. "Who-"

"Oh, right." Elphaba sighed, suddenly remembering who she was sitting across from. "Boq, this is my cousin, Raven Evella. Raven, this is Boq Tarqi, a childhood friend of mine." The young man nodded at her, and Raven gave a nervous wave back. "Raven started at Shiz a year early, at my aunt's insistence. She's staying with Glinda and I. Boq's a wiz at chemistry; he's majoring in it." The Munchkin blushed.

"That's great." Raven whispered, unused to this new attention. She preferred being back in her dorm with the girls and Fiyero, away from curious eyes.

"How are you liking Shiz, Raven?"

The teenager glanced at her companions. "It's... certainly different than what I'm used to." She laughed nervously, and Elphaba nudged her gently under the table. The two locked eyes, before the green girl turned back to her old friend.

"Let us know how everything goes with the new chemistry professor."

"I will when we finally have one." He replied, nodding to each in turn before continuing on. Once he was gone, Raven turned back to Elphaba.

" _How could you throw me under the carriage like that? Are you insane?_ "

One slender black eyebrow rose. "You need to get used to talking to people here, Rae." Elphaba replied, the shortening of the girl's name drifting softly from her lips like honey. "How are you going to get along when Glinda, Yero or I aren't with you if you don't talk to people? Better to start and get over the awkwardness now than later. Trust me, I know." She returned to her salad, before looking up at the girl. "Besides, of all the people here, Boq was simple. He's simply here for an education, same as all the rest of us. He's more interested in chemistry and science than the new girl at university. And he's a good listener. If you can't talk to one of us, you can always talk to Boq. He keeps secrets as well as the rest of us."

"Oh."

Eventually, they finished lunch and Elphaba and Glinda headed off for the dorm, the two classes they shared on that day in the afternoon having been canceled. After kissing Elphaba goodbye, Fiyero led Raven back across campus for the only class they shared without the girls- Myth and Magic in Early Ozian Literature. It was a class both Glinda and Elphaba had taken the semester before.

As they slipped into seats by the window, Raven spoke up, finally voicing what had been on her mind since early that morning when she'd hurried to catch up with the trio on the way to History. "How do you get used to it all?"

"Used to what?" He asked, pulling out the notebook he'd been taking notes in before break and sliding it towards her. Raven quickly thumbed through it; Fiyero's notes were more meticulous than Elphaba's, and that was saying something. She quickly shut the notebook, shaking her head to clear away the swimming black ink before her eyes.

"All of it. University. I mean... I was forced to do three years at EAH, and I could hardly stand it. My father had me tutored at home until I turned fifteen; he then enrolled me in EAH, but... but that moron Grimm placed me in the sophomore class instead of the senior class where I belonged, so I was forced to relearn everything all over again. It was torture."

Fiyero chuckled softly. "You learn real quick that University is a lot closer to real life than high school. You get to make your own decisions here; the decisions you make means you bear the consequences. There's no such thing as Royals and Rebels and Legacy Days here. Here, we deal with real life. Not some cheesy fairy tale. Yeah, romances happen and bad things occur, but it's the people you choose to have in your life that help you get through the stress and the classes and the overwhelming reality that once you graduate, your life really starts."

"Does it get easier?"

He sighed, reaching up to fiddle with the ring that hung on a string around his neck. The stone glistened in the sunlight, and Raven's eyes widened. "Some things. And some things get harder. And then others..." He glanced at the ring. "Well, it's hard to determine what other things will turn out as." The professor then entered the classroom, and Fiyero quickly tucked the ring back into his shirt. Just as Raven opened her mouth to ask-

"All right, everyone. You've got a new assignment, so partner up. Your final project is to look at how myth and magic plays in the world of 'Happily-Ever-After'."


	14. Chapter 14

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Raven dropped the heavy tome onto her desk, causing Elphaba to look up from the chapter on Transfiguration she was reading through for her Sorcery class.

"What's wrong?" Glinda asked, coming out of the bathroom. She was quickly drying her hair with a towel, and furrowed a brow as Fiyero shut the door behind them, removing the book bag once he'd done so and going to Elphaba's bed.

"Professor Brr partnered us up for our project in Myth and Magic." He replied, dropping the bag by the bed before he dropped onto the mattress as Elphaba closed her book and set it aside, scooting towards him and wrapping her arms around him from behind. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead as he did so.

"So? Don't you want to be partners?" Glinda asked, continuing to dry her hair.

"It's not that." Raven replied, turning to the blonde.

"Then what is it?" Elphaba asked, and Raven turned to her sister, sighing.

"Our final project is to... to figure out... to..." She stopped, closing her eyes and burying her face in her hands.

"To look at how myth and magic play into the world of 'Happily-Ever-After'." Fiyero finished for her, scooting to settle back against the pillows of Elphaba's bed, stretching his long legs out before him after toeing off his shoes. Elphaba moved to join him, brow furrowed in confusion before she realized why Raven was so upset.

"You... basically have to look at... your homeland." Raven nodded, as Glinda lowered herself onto her own bed, removing the towel from her slightly damp short curls.

"You don't want to, do you?"

 _"What do you think?"_ Raven snapped, before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Glinda, I didn't mean to-" She sighed, dropping heavily into her desk chair. "No matter how far I run, I'll never be able to outrun Ever After High." She propped her chin on her arm. "Maybe I should just go back-"

"No." Elphaba shook her head. "Even if you wanted to, we don't know how to get you back. Besides, do you really want to return?" The younger girl shook her head. "Then there's really no point in saying that you should, is there? Besides, if you somehow _did_ manage to go back, you'd just be forced to sign your life away and become the Evil Queen, which you've made _plainly_ clear is the _last thing_ you want. And here, you get to choose your own destiny, make your own decisions, start your own life. And you actually have people here who _love_ you."

Raven sighed. Elphaba did make a good point. Despite her friends back in Ever After, nothing compared to having a sister- even a half- who understood what it was like to be considered the outcast. Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero had definitely been the best part of about her ending up in Oz so far, and she loved that she could turn to them when she needed to get something off her chest or if she needed advice. She missed her friends and her father, yes, but she was glad she was here.

"I just," She stood, pushing herself from the chair and meandering over to the fireplace. The flames danced in the grate, the light illuminating her violet eyes. "It just feels like... like whatever I do, wherever I go, I can't escape Ever After High or 'legacy'. It's like... like it follows me, like an annoying gnat that won't go away. I'm half afraid that one day I'm going to wake up and find that this was nothing but a dream and that I'm back in my dorm at EAH."

"Rae, that's not going to happen."

"You don't know that, Elphaba." Raven replied, turning to the older girl as she climbed off her bed and made her way towards the fireplace. "It might."

Elphaba shook her head. "It _won't_. You know why?" Raven shook her head, dark curls swaying. With a sigh, Elphaba wrapped her arms around the younger girl, holding her close. "It won't happen, because it _can't_. No one who's ever gone over the rainbow once has managed to do so a second time. There is no bridge between worlds- they're the fabric of myth, just like the fabled ocean that borders the impassable desert. It's not real, and therefore it can't happen."

"Then how do you explain how I got here?" Raven asked, turning to meet her gaze. Elphaba sighed, teeth sliding out to bite her lip.

"An accident?" Glinda offered from her bed as the sisters turned to face her.

Fiyero shrugged. "I'd say a regime change, but... you're not a monarch or public figure."

"An _accident_?" Raven repeated, gaze lighting on Glinda. "That's what you call my-"

But Elphaba grabbed her about the waist, holding the girl in place. She could sense the hurt, that Raven wanted to run, and wouldn't let her. "It's not an accident or a _regime_ change." She cast an exasperated glance at Fiyero who shrugged, tucking his hands behind his head. "It's... a... a bizarre and unexpected twister of fate." Raven turned, and all three cast wide eyes on the green girl, who shrugged. "What? It's basically true. There was a storm the day Raven showed up; is it really so unlikely that a tornado brought Raven over the rainbow?"

"Tornados don't just appear out of thin air, Elphie." Glinda replied, getting up and going to her closet. She grabbed a pair of pajamas and made for the bathroom, but Elphaba's voice stopped her.

"You're right, Glin, they don't. Not unless someone is controlling the weather." The blonde turned back.

"What are you saying, Elphie?" The green girl shrugged, never letting go of Raven, and the younger girl felt herself relax; the desire to run was disappearing, thanks to her sister's calming embrace.

"Nothing. I just... think it's... _funny._.. that there's one person we know who's specialty is the weather. And not long after a strong storm, Raven shows up in the bushes outside Crage Hall. Don't you think it's a _little strange_ , Glinda?"

The blonde glanced at Fiyero, who held up his hands and stood, slipping back into his shoes and grabbing his bag. "Don't look at me. I have no idea what you two are talking about." He slipped the bag over his shoulder and went to Elphaba, kissing her quickly on the lips before squeezing Raven's shoulder and making for the door. He stopped, however, when Glinda spoke up.

"Wait, Elphie, are you... are you suggesting that... that _Madame Morrible_ is responsible for Raven's arrival at Shiz?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

 **A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia**

"Frankly, I think it's _good_ that Raven ran away. I don't see how she tolerated rooming with that... that _bitch_."

The others nodded, ignoring the swell of students who flooded into the auditorium for Headmaster Grimm's big announcement. Word had quickly spread around the school that Raven Queen had disappeared; run off and left Ever After High and her destiny far behind. The whispers had ranged from annoyance, disgust and anger to admiration, pride, and the hope that if Raven could vanish into thin air and avoid her destiny, maybe others could, too. It was quickly becoming clear that the school was splitting down the middle- dividing itself into two factions: Royals and Rebels.

The Royals were those who were determined to stick to their stories, follow tradition and sign the Storybook; they felt that their destinies were owed to them, and that one rebellious action had taken it all away. Whereas, the Rebels were those who believed that they should be allowed to follow in Raven's footsteps and create their own stories, their own destinies, and not be forced to follow in their parents' footsteps. If only Raven had been here to see what her little act of rebellion had brought about.

Cerise and the others looked up as Ashlynn Ella took a seat beside Maddie. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sitting with the Royals?"

Ashlynn blushed, but didn't get to say a word as Hunter Huntsman took a seat beside her, taking her hand, and suddenly, the girls understood. "How long have you been-"

The couple shared a glance. "Since last spring. Secretly. Raven was the only one that knew." Ashlynn whispered, quickly dropping Hunter's hand as Apple walked past. The blonde watched her friend, who glanced quickly at her before lowering her gaze. She then turned to Hunter, whispering something to him that made him start in surprise; his dark eyes darted towards Apple, who set her jaw and stalked off, slipping into a seat beside Daring. Dexter sat in the middle, between the Rebels and Royals, showing that he was clearly torn.

" _Stu_ dents!"

Every head turned as Headmaster Grimm's voice echoed through the microphone at the front of auditorium. "Great, another 'motivational' speech." Cerise muttered, and Ashlynn choked on a giggle. A moment passed, before he continued.

"It has been brought to our attention that one of our students- Raven Queen- has disappeared. It appears that she has run off, in attempts to avoid her destiny-"

"No, _really_?" Cerise whispered, glancing at the others. "She was going to be forced to become the _Evil Queen_. I don't blame Raven for running off. If anything, I'd have gone with her." She tugged the hood of her cloak closer, and Ashlynn leaned around Maddie.

"Raven's the only one that had the guts to stand up for what she believes in. The rest of us are all just... just sheep, doing what's expected of us, especially the Royals."

"I thought you _were_ a Royal." Cerise replied, and Ashlynn sighed.

"Raven told me once that my happy ending will come true if I don't force it; that I don't need to become my mother to find my prince. That I need to let my heart tell me who it belongs too, because it knows. And... not long after Hunter and I started dating, I realized she was right, and that my heart knew exactly who it belonged to." She glanced at Hunter, who took her hand and squeezed gently. Before Cerise could say anything in response, Headmaster Grimm once more spoke up.

"It is of utmost importance that not only is Miss Queen found and brought back to Ever After High, but that we, now more than ever, stick to the stories." A grumble of annoyance rustled through the students, causing a few to speak up in annoyance or anger. Safe to say, the assembly quickly ended, with the students filing out in a hurry. In lieu of classes, the students were given the day off, and Cerise and her small group made for Bookend, stopping at Hocus Latte before making their way to the clearing she'd stumbled upon in the Enchanted Forest a few weeks prior. She quickly glanced around at the others; Ashlynn and Hunter had kept quiet, and Cerise thought back to when Raven was still here- how she'd always had a kind word for the future Cinderella, a quick smile for the young Huntsman. And if Raven was the only one to know about their secret relationship-

 _That sounds like Raven. She's the leader of this little band of misfits without even realizing that she is._

"So what do we do?" The question hung heavy in the air, and everyone turned to Maddie, who sat staring at her teacup with tears in her eyes. She was perhaps taking Raven's disappearance the hardest, being her best friend and all. Cerise shrugged.

"I don't know."

"We could go look for her." Ashlynn suggested, sipping her drink.

"But where would we even begin to look? She might not even be in Ever After anymore." Hunter replied.

"She's not." Maddie replied, sniffling. "She said in her note that she's leaving EAH and Bookend, which means she must have left Ever After completely."

"Could she have gone home?" Cedar asked, from her place on one of the fallen logs. Cerise shook her head.

"No. That would be a sure-fire way for her to get caught. Raven's not stupid. If she wanted to get away, she found a way to do so." She looked up through the canopy, the sun's rays warm on her face and she closed her eyes. Was Raven feeling the same sun on her skin? Or was she out there, in some long-forgotten, distant land, alone and cold and starving? Either way, Cerise hoped she was free. "She's not in Ever After anymore. I can't explain it, I just know that she's not. And wherever she is, I hope she's happy."


End file.
